How Coronavirus Has Impacted TV Advertising for Attorneys

As the world continues adapting to the challenges presented by COVID-19, consumers stuck at home are finding themselves in front of the TV more often. In fact, a recent eMarketer report shows that U.S. adults are spending an average of 229.3 minutes watching TV each day — a jump of 9.3% over last year.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable TV provider, notes that it’s not just viewing habits that are changing. People are tuning in to different types of programming.

Since the pandemic started, Comcast data shows that viewers are watching more news programming. At one point early this year, news viewership — a combination of national, local and cable news — jumped 64%. These days, it’s leveling off with news viewership now down about 30% since its peak.

So what’s all this mean for attorneys advertising on TV?

Well, the simple answer is that it’s a favorable time to be on the air. Not only are more people watching, economic uncertainty has caused many established advertisers to pause their campaigns or stop them altogether. So any law firm advertising on TV now benefits from strong ratings and less competition.

At Legal TV Leads, we’ve noticed the ratings increase has helped offset the lower amount of car traffic on the roads. Personal injury attorneys are still able to secure consistent leads, even though there are fewer traffic accidents nationwide.

This trend should continue as ratings, especially for news programming, stay strong with the impending presidential election in November. Stay-at-home orders, although loosening, should help too.

Moving forward, eMarketer predicts the biggest jump in viewership will come from adults 65 and older, as well as those aged 25-34. All other age demographics are on the rise too, marking the first time since 2012 that TV viewership is up across the board.

The reality is, wherever consumer behavior shifts, advertising follows. TV is no exception. A growing audience means bigger opportunities to quickly reach your target market while establishing brand recognition.

In the case of Legal TV Leads, more viewers means you can also get leads faster without worrying about the inflated costs that come with traditional TV advertising. After all, you only pay when your commercial delivers leads. So you can advertise with zero risk. You also end up investing a small fraction of what your competing law firms pay to be on TV.